The holiday season got an Oval Office feel on Tuesday when one of President Donald Trump's most trusted advisors - his daughter Ivanka - made a stop in Miami-Dade to help in a family food box giveaway.
Ivanka Trump took part in the event at the King Jesus International Ministry, participating in the distribution of boxes to families in need during the holidays, something amplified during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
"We are feeding a thousand households. We really want it to be a blessing during the holidays," said Cassandra Sheppard, the director of Overflowing Storehouse Food Pantry - one group who donated food for the event. "We know there are so many people suffering because of COVID."
Some who were waiting for food boxes had been in line since 9 p.m. Monday, sleeping in their cars while waiting for the holiday treat.
"It (the pandemic) affected me really bad because I lost my mom with COVID, I lost my job," said Karla Calafuentes, one of the first people in line. "We need the help."
The church was thrust into the national spotlight in late December 2019 when it hosted an event for President Trump in which Pastor Guillermo Maldonado was forced to guarantee that parishioners who entered the U.S. illegally wouldn't risk deportation by attending.
It could also be a trip to the future home for Trump and her husband, advisor Jared Kushner, once President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20th. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported earlier in December they had purchased a home on the exclusive Indian Creek Island near Miami.
